Ballotfield - A Voting Tool
VoteWise is an app that aims to empower voters with relevant information, encourage knowledge, and keep them up to date on elections. The main purpose is to encourage knowledge, empower voters with relevant information and be up to date on elections.
Challenge
In the current fast-paced world, finding accurate and impartial information about candidates, parties, and election procedures has become a challenge for voters. This lack of knowledge can result in uninformed voting decisions, leading to voter apathy, which ultimately undermines the democratic process. Furthermore, with the increase of misinformation and disinformation online, it has become increasingly difficult for voters to distinguish between fact and fiction.
Solution
VoteWise addresses these challenges by providing users with a centralized platform toVoteWise is a centralized platform that helps users stay informed about upcoming elections, candidates, political parties, and ballot measures. The app gathers information from trustworthy sources, such as government websites, non-partisan organizations, and reputable news outlets, to ensure that users have access to accurate and up-to-date information. By aggregating this data, VoteWise addresses the challenges of finding reliable information and simplifies the process of staying informed about elections. access reliable information about upcoming elections, candidates, political parties, and ballot measures. The app aggregates data from various trustworthy sources, including government websites, non-partisan organizations, and reputable news outlets, ensuring that users have access to accurate and up-to-date information.
Key Features
Candidate Profiles: Users can explore detailed profiles of candidates running for office, including their background, experience, party positions, and endorsements.
Voting Guides: VoteWise offers personalized voting guides based on users' locations, providing them with information about their specific ballot, including candidates and measures.
Election Reminders: The app sends push notifications to remind users about important election dates, registration deadlines, and polling locations.
Educational Resources: VoteWise provides educational resources on topics such as voter registration, absentee voting, and election security to help users navigate the voting process.
Community Engagement: Users can engage with other voters through forums, discussion boards, and social media integration, fostering a sense of community and collective participation.
Project Overview
The product: VoteWise App
VoteWise is a voting-related app whose main purpose is to encourage knowledge, empower voters with relevant information and be up to date on elections.
Project duration: 5 weeks: Jan 2024 - Feb 2024
The problem: Creating an unbiased app, that has up-to-date news, educates first-timers on voting procedure, and allows voters to compare candidates.
The goal: VoteWise aims to provide users with up-to-date information on parties, candidates and elections. It helps all types of voters to understand which parties align with their values.
My role: Lead UX designer, UX researcher, and Visual designer.
Responsibilities: User research, wireframing, prototyping, designing, conducting usability studies, and accounting for accessibility.
Who are the users?
Frustrated voters with a penchant for distrust: The user research conducted on youth voter apathy in South Africa revealed that young people are dissatisfied and disillusioned with the political system. Although it was initially assumed that this disenchantment was due to a broken political system, a deeper analysis uncovered specific pain points contributing to this disillusionment:
1. Lack of Accountability: Young South Africans expressed frustration over the lack of accountability among political parties and politicians. They felt their voices were not heard, and their votes did not influence decision-making processes.
2. High Youth Unemployment: The research highlighted shockingly high rates of unemployment among young people, which significantly exceeded the national average. This economic disenfranchisement left many feeling disconnected from mainstream politics.
3. Lack of Effective Representation: Many young South Africans felt they were not effectively represented within political structures. This lack of representation, coupled with a limited understanding of how the government operates, contributed to feelings of alienation and disengagement.
4. Distrust in the Electoral Process: Widespread corruption within government structures eroded trust in the electoral and political processes. This distrust acted as a significant barrier to civic engagement and participation in elections.
User Journey
A Frustrated youth wanting change: Charé is a first-time voter who needs to find the relevant information on the election and the voting procedure because she wants to make a change and encourage the youth to vote.
Phase 1: Design Concept
User Flow: The user flow of the app is carefully structured to prioritize user engagement and empowerment. The platform seamlessly guides users to experience an easy-to-use interface. Users can browse candidate profiles, access voting guides, or participate in community discussions. They feel supported and informed every step of the way.
Moreover, the app's flow is designed to be fluid and intuitive, allowing users to navigate effortlessly between different features and sections. This seamless navigation enhances the overall user experience, making it easy for users to find the information they need and take action with confidence.
Wireframes: The wireframes were conceptualized with easy-to-use elements and logical placement of information and buttons, resulting in a more intuitive feel for users when using the app.
Digital Wireframes: The app was intended to have a logical flow, making it easy for users to identify components without requiring language to be a barrier. A point of contention that was noted was how the homepage needed to be simplistic yet detailed enough to encourage users to keep exploring.
Low-Fidelity Prototype: Once iterations were done on the digital wireframes to ensure that the app was more detailed without being cluttered a usability study was conducted. The usability study found that the app was easy to use and the features were something users appreciated.
Phase 2: Design Refinement
Mock-Ups: The goal was to add a countdown for the election and registration deadline. This was to ensure that voters could be counted for accurate polling.
The second usability study found that users needed a forum to share their thoughts and political viewpoints, allowing users to comment on relevant posts and reference the news section.
High-Fedility Prototype: The goal for the high-fidelity prototype was to showcase a more dynamic feel to the app, playing with triggers and animations that are subtle but increase the user experience.
Check out the prototype: http://tinyurl.com/VoteWiseprototype
Going Forward
Takeaways
Impact: The design of this app was created to empower voters to become better informed about political parties, their leaders, and where their values lie. It aims to create a community that engages with each other and feels heard. One user stated, "This app would be very useful in times where misinformation is rampant," while another expressed, "The concept alone could encourage the voices of the youth to be heard in a country that needs new ones."
What I learned: Creating the app is only the first step in the process. The ability to generate, test, evaluate, and apply feedback in a way that best suits user needs is essential to the app's success. Ensuring users feel herded and needs are met. Apps need to standardise empathy and accessibility so that all users are included.
Conclusion
VoteWise was created to be a platform that provides hope for democracy in a time of political division and media saturation. By leveraging technology to inform and educate voters, VoteWise aims to remove barriers to civic engagement and promote a more inclusive and democratic society. With its user-friendly interface, extensive database, and commitment to truth and transparency, VoteWise is revolutionizing the way people participate in politics, ensuring that every voice is heard.